On the weekend I happened to be downtown Vancouver and seized upon the opportunity to visit one of the restaurants that I follow on Instagram – Timber Gastropub.
From Timber’s website –
Timber is Chef Chris Whittaker’s second West End Restaurant. Timber pays tribute to British Columbia’s rich timber history and the tough people who built this ‘True North Strong & Free’, one two-by-four at a time. The menu reads like a roadmap of Canadian comfort food. Looking for a place to grab a mug of local craft beer and a bison burger while you curse the hockey refs on TV? This is the joint for you.
And I have to say, for a joint on Robson Street, just down from where all the high end fashion shops are located, Timber is a very cool and casual place to eat.
I started my lunch experience with a smoked pickled egg. Now before you go “EWWW” I have to admit that I was a feeling a little of the “EWWW” myself.
When I was a young man, a buddy and I traveled around BC visiting small towns. We often ended up in the local watering hole wherever we were and the one thing I remember about bar we visited was that there was a gallon jar of pickled eggs on the jar. I never had the courage to try one back then. So my Saturday visit to the Timber Gastropub was my day to finally confront the pickled egg.
Holy crap. They taste great! A good balance of smoke and pickle flavour and an egg that is cooked just safely past a soft yolk but not into the green yolk realm. I liked it. I am still not sure I would take one from a jar in a small town bar though.
Pascal, the server who helped me choose my lunch was very helpful with the menu. He advised me on the strengths and weaknesses of the menu while giving me confidence in the kitchen’s ability. He is a true professional who clearly demonstrated how important the front of the house staff are to a restaurant’s success (or failure).
But enough about Pascal; back to my lunch. I opted for the Bison burger and fries. I was assured that it is one of the top three burgers in the city. Well, it is definitely on my top five list of burgers.
One of the factors that works in this burger’s favour is that they cut and chop the burger meat in-house. Therefore, they ask the customer those magical words; “how do you want your burger cooked?”
The truth is, there is no comparison between a burger in any other joint and a burger cooked medium rare. If you do not cut and chop the burger meat in-house you have to cook it to well-done. Once well-done there is no moisture left in the burger and you may as well be eating a charcoal briquet.
But a burger, especially a bison burger cooked to medium rare, with a thick slab of real cheddar cheese and three thick pieces of ultra-crispy and a sort of sweet bacon like my Mom makes…burger heaven at Timber Gastropub.
And the fries…swoon. Super crisp on the outside with the texture of real potatoes inside – obviously cut in house. Beautiful. Truly beautiful.
I didn’t have time or room for dessert. But you can bet that when I return to the west end of Vancouver, I will be stopping at the corner of Robson and Jervis for more good eats.
- The bison burger and fries with a starter of a smoked pickled egg and a glass of beer came to just under $30.
- Timber Gastropub is located at 1300 Robson Street in Vancouver.